Wrapping up Philly and starting Taekwondo

Today we finished our Philly entry into the newly created "Field Trip Scrapbook." The kids did a great job with it! I think this will end up to be a wonderful keepsake. They divided up 13 different topics/places that we went, wrote a paragraph about each place, and found pictures to go on the page. They're excited to show it to their friends tomorrow at bubblegum day and with our family this weekend.

They have also both finished their taekwondo essays. We told them if they wanted to take lessons they would have to write an essay explaining why it was important to them to learn taekwondo. Tom and I were both amazed at the thought they put into the essay, and how well they expressed their ideas. Zoë even researched things on the Internet and provided a short history! I'm going to make them present their essays to the master so he knows how much thought they've already put into wanting to learn the martial art. So now we'll be adding taekwondo lessons to our schedule!

Here's an excerpt from each of their essays:

If I can't do something I'll keep trying. This will teach me perseverance. ... I will try my hardest, follow the rules, and always be respectful.

I will learn self-defense, balance, and self-control by taking taekwondo. ... I will be the best sportsman I can be.

Today was parent teacher conferences with the JET teachers. Of course they had nothing but great things to say about the kids. Aiden's teacher pointed out that she could see a big difference in him since we've started homeschooling. She said that his focus is better, he has more control, and he's become a wonderful leader in the class. Zoë's teacher said that she will tackle any problem, and gets along very well with all of her classmates. We're very proud of both of them!